佛罗里达州陪审团裁定，前警长副手在黑人空军士兵枪击死亡案中无罪

Chantemekki Fortson, mother of Roger Fortson, holds a photo of her son during a news conference on 9 May 2024 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

Roger Fortson was shot by deputy when he opened door with gun in hand after a false domestic disturbance call

A Florida jury recently found former sheriffs deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the fatal shooting of Roger Fortson, a Black US air force airman who was killed inside his apartment after authorities responded to an unfounded report of a domestic disturbance.

An Okaloosa county jury acquitted Duran, 38, on Thursday after about two hours of deliberations. He had faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Duran, who is Hispanic, was an Okaloosa county sheriffs deputy in May 2024 when he was sent to Fortsons apartment in Fort Walton Beach where Fortson C originally from Atlanta C was stationed.

Authorities have said Duran was directed to the apartment after a report of a domestic disturbance that turned out to be false.

After Duran repeatedly knocked on the door, Fortson answered while holding a handgun at his side with the weapon pointed toward the ground. Authorities say Duran fired multiple times before telling Fortson to drop the gun. The encounter was captured on the deputys body camera.

Thursdays verdict came after a four-day trial.

One day after Duran was acquitted, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said that Fortsons family would continue its legal fight and vowed to seek accountability through the civil court system for the 2024 shooting.

While the criminal prosecution has ended with Durans acquittal, a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Fortsons family remains pending.

Rogers life and his service will always matter, Crump said in a statement on Friday. His family will keep fighting for him, and we will stand with them as they pursue their civil rights case in federal court and seek accountability for the tragic loss of his life.

Duran was fired from the Okaloosa sheriffs office after killing Fortson. His defense attorney argued that the former deputy was doing his job and said Fortson would still be alive if he had not armed himself before answering the door.

Fortsons mother, Chantemekki Fortson, told the Atlanta news outlet WXIA she was unsurprised by the verdict, citing the speed of the jurys deliberations. They went to deliberate for just two hours, she said. So, again, I wasnt surprised.

She also said the trial forced her to face details surrounding her sons death that she had spent the previous two years trying to avoid.

Now I cant do that, she told WXIA. Like hes really gone.

Hes never coming back. Hes never gonna say, Mom, what you doing? Mom, you wanna go get something to eat? Mom, you need do your hair. Like Im never going to hear my babys voice no more.

在一通虚假的家庭纠纷报警电话后，罗杰·福特森手持枪支打开门时，被副警长开枪射杀。

佛罗里达州一个陪审团近日裁定，前警长副手埃迪·杜兰在罗杰·福特森遭枪击身亡一案中，使用枪支过失杀人的罪名不成立。福特森是一名美国空军黑人飞行员，他在接到无根据的家庭纠纷报警后，于自己的公寓内被执法人员开枪打死。

周四，奥卡卢萨县的一个陪审团在商议约两小时后，宣告38岁的杜兰无罪。此前，若罪名成立，他最高将面临30年监禁。

杜兰是西班牙裔，2024年5月时他还是奥卡卢萨县的警长副手，当时他被派往沃尔顿堡滩福特森的公寓，福特森原籍亚特兰大，当时正驻扎在那里。

当局表示，杜兰是在接到一起家庭纠纷举报后被指引至该公寓的，而该举报后来被证实为虚假信息。

杜兰多次敲门后，福森开门时手持手枪，枪口朝下置于身侧。当局称，杜兰在要求福森放下枪之前已多次开枪。此次对峙过程被副警长的随身摄像头拍下。

周四的判决是在为期四天的审判后作出的。

在杜兰被宣告无罪一天后，民权律师本·克伦普表示，福斯特的家人将继续其法律斗争，并誓言要通过民事法庭系统为2024年的枪击事件“追究责任”。

尽管针对杜兰的刑事起诉以无罪宣判告终，但福特森家属提起的联邦民权诉讼仍在审理中。

“罗杰的生命和他的贡献将永远重要，”克伦普周五在声明中表示。“他的家人将继续为他抗争，我们将与他们站在一起，在联邦法院推进民权诉讼，并追究其不幸离世的责任。”

杜兰在杀害福斯特森后被奥卡卢萨县警长办公室解雇。他的辩护律师辩称，这位前副警长当时“在履行职责”，并表示如果福斯特森在开门前没有拿起武器，他本可以活下来。

福特森的母親尚特梅基·福特森告訴亞特蘭大新聞媒體WXIA，她對這一裁決並不感到意外，理由是陪審團審議速度之快。她說：「他們只審議了兩個小時。」「所以，再說一次，我並不感到意外。」

她还表示，庭审迫使她直面与儿子死亡相关的种种细节，而这些细节是她在过去两年里一直试图回避的。

“现在我做不到那样了，”她告诉WXIA电视台。“就像他真的已经不在了。”

他再也回不来了。他再也不会说：‘妈，你在干嘛？妈，你想不想去吃点东西？妈，你得去做做头发。’我再也听不到我宝贝的声音了。